Stained
by Siberia Riefel Taylor
Summary: With Hal out with a bad cold, a case hanging over the First Division's head, and a new recruit in the Mattori, Kai Eto finds himself in charge of a temporary partner/trainee and an undercover mission into the small drug ring, Skye. When Kai becomes a high school student for the operation, he realizes that someone in the NCD is a rat for Skye.
1. Chapter 1

_Shoof._ Kai Eto shoved a small stack of papers to the side of his desk with a gloved hand. Another pile done with several more boxes to go. Had Hal been with him, they would be on some stake out with a pair of binoculars and a pile of tissues in the back seat. It was cold season, and the bug had hit Hal like a freight train, which left Kai with no partner and a mountain of paperwork the other Mattori just hadn't had time for.

Footsteps thumped down the hall, and Kai watched the door warily. One never knew when the Second Division would attack with another weird case, and Kai had sat next to the coat closet- the perfect hiding spot- for that very reason.

The door popped open, and Kajiyama strode in, followed by Director Hiki and a stranger. Kai watched them out of the corner of his eye, scratching in some simple information on one of the sheets of paperwork. Hiki glanced over with a sly smile, and Kai dropped his gaze to his pen. That clever look never meant well for Kai (or Hal when he was there). Despite his attempts to focus on the creamy document before him, Kai could hear Hiki's speech.

"This is the First Division," the director explained as they passed Kai's desk. "You'll be working with one of the agents here in a fairly simple case. No better training than hands on!" Kai tried not to wince at the obviously obnoxious grin in Hiki's words. "Eto, come say hello."

The pen tip froze against the paper. Asking a detective to come say hello to someone who would be working on a case never bode well. Kai scooted back and hopped up, walking over to where the three men stood. The new guy wore a dark green sports jacket and had ashy silver hair slicked away from his pointed face. He offered his hand with a cool smile, and Kai took it, giving it a firm shake.

"Kai, this is Daisuke Morisaki," Hiki said, clapping his fingertips together. "Daisuke, Kai Eto."

"Nice to meet you!" Kai exclaimed. Daisuke's eyes flashed as he nodded his head politely. _Scary,_ Kai thought, trying to maintain his kind smile as Kajiyama left them alone with the director.

"Kai Eto usually works with Hal Kurabayashi," Hiki continued, motioning both to follow him. "Since Hal is under the weather and Kai has some experience, you will be his temporary partner." Kai would have protested that he had too much paperwork, but the sound of a new case excited him, and Hiki would have found some way into roping him into the job with or without consent (as seen by Kai's shameless kidnapping by the Second Division on multiple occaisions). Hiki halted in front of a filing cabinet and pulled open one of the many drawers, immediately procuring a file and turning back towards the exit. "If you two would follow me to my office."

Kai tailed the two, hands in his pockets, to the director's office, where Hiki let them in and offered two chairs at his desk. He handed the file to Kai and signaled him to open it. Kai obeyed, spreading laminated photographs and thin sheets of info paper. Daisuke picked up the miniscule plastic bag containing tree sparkling black tablets.

"This is a new drug called Star-ink," Hiki explained, motioning to the evidence in Daisuke's hand. "It's a powerful hallucinogen that begins by releasing dopamine in high quantities, but proceeds to attack and kill white blood cells, destroying the partaker's immune system. Instead of taking it like any other pill, you dissolve it in water and drink it. Since it contains some sugar and flavor extract, it supposedly tastes nice. The producers are a surfacing drug ring called Skye. They're targeting high school students from D- High and are expanding into larger territory in that area."

Reaching out his one gloved hand for the tablets, Kai examined the drug: It was a triangular pellet with small, glittering crystals. A small, five-pointed star had been embossed on the top. Glancing up, Kai caught a brief view of Daisuke's scowling expression. It was only a split second before his cool poker face returned. Kai set the bag amidst the photographs of victims and suspects as he prepared himself for the exact mission to be undertaken.

"Kai will be going to D- High undercover as the stepson of a middle-class real estate agent," Hiki assigned. Kai let out an internal sigh of relief. At least he wasn't going in dressed like a girl. "Daisuke will play the student's controlling stepfather." Kai's eyes flicked to Daisuke. He could pull it off easily. Hiki continued, "I've arranged the operation with the Principle. You'll start on Monday."

Kai flipped through the pages of suspects, careful to keep them in view of Daisuke, who sat kitty-corner to Kai's desk. Daisuke reached over and tapped the photograph of a soft-featured kid wearing glasses. The name was Mikage Suwa.

"Intel states he's a quieter subordinate of him," Daisuke said, prodding another photograph of a student with thick red hair and the name, Jun Touchi. "If we want to get into their inner circles without too much suspicion, we'll want to go through Suwa. He's a school student body representative, has almost perfect grades, and would be exactly the kind of person your cover would hang out with." Kai nodded silently. It was times like these that made him remember why he usually wasn't in charge of missions. Daisuke should have been chosen to run the operation, but responsibility had fallen on Kai's shoulders as the senior investigator.

Daisuke stood with a wave and a careless farewell before striding to the exit. Kai continued leafing through the papers, hoping that no one had to be put in danger this time around. When Kai had last played a student to root out a drug ring, he and another undercover investigator had nearly gotten themselves poisoned with potassium cyanide.

Shuffling through the file one last time, Kai piled the papers back into steel grey folder and shoved his chair away from the desk. It was getting late, and there was a stray cat that had taken up residence outside his apartment. It would want some food before the night was out. Sighing, he placed the evidence in a drawer and shoved his arms through the sleeves of his autumn coat. As silently as he could, he left the office and snuck past the Second Division's headquarters (he never knew when one might jump out at him and drag him into a case).

Once outside the building, Kai paused by a coin-run newspaper box, and looked over his shoulder. Hal's apartment wasn't too far in the opposite direction, and the detective might be lonely. Kai turned toward a nearby street coffee shop and purchased two hot chocolates before hurrying to a nearby crosswalk.

Careful not to drop the lidded containers of steamy beverage, Kai followed the semi-familiar route to Hal's residence and bounded up the stairs until he reached the door. Kai used the pinky of his right hand to ring the doorbell and waited quietly for an answer.

The door cracked open, and Kai saw a flash of Hal's glasses before Hal slammed the door shut. Kai nearly dropped the hot coco in surprise. He reached forward and rang the doorbell again.

"I don't want to get you sick, you useless kid!" Hal shouted through the door. Kai replied that he wouldn't because Kai had been eating healthy. Slowly, Hal let Kai in. He sniffed and wiped his nose with a tissue. "What d'ya want?" he demanded coldly. Kai held out one of the cups, and Hal took it wearily. The taller detective really did not look well: he wore a t-shirt and sweatpants under a maroon bathrobe and had circles under his clouded eyes.

"I came to tell you to get well soon!" Kai said with a genuine smile. It was disconcerting to see his friend in such a pitiful state. Hal swung a punch to the side of Kai's head, but Kai, used to this kind of reaction, dodged it easily. "I've been partnered with a new guy, Daisuke Morisaki, and we're starting an investigation into the high school ring, Skye," Kai explained, taking a sip out of his cup. Hal hadn't touched his yet. "Detective Morisaki is kind of scary, but it looks like it will be a fun case."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Switch is owned by Naked Ape**

Hal ushered Kai out the door after Kai had run out of breath. The last thing Hal needed was his uber-cheerful partner talking his ear off. He took a sip from the steamy cup and sighed. This was not coffee. At least it wasn't half bad for hot chocolate. Taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, he collapsed onto the couch and let his head rest on the cushions behind him.

 _Daisuke Morisaki,_ Hal thought contemptuously. He had never gotten along well with the recruit (when he did happen to see him). It bothered Hal that Daisuke had started training for the Mattori shortly after the Narcotics Control Department had begun to investigate… Never mind. Clearly Morisaki had passed all the tests to make him a full-fledged investigator, so Hal had nothing to complain about.

 **~Switch~**

Kai straightened his blazer and reluctantly pulled off his single glove. The uniform had clearly been made for someone at least two inches taller than he, but with a couple of strategically placed safety pins, he had managed to make the pants the right length and the jacket a little snugger. He looked at his alarm clock. 7:40. Kai hoisted his school bag, draping his wrist over his shoulder and letting the briefcase hang from his fingertips. He opened the door and walked out to the curb where Daisuke waited in his car. Kai climbed in the passenger side and Daisuke shifted the car into gear, pulling into the street.

"Director Hiki sent a schedule and a map," Daisuke said, nodding to a manila envelope wedged between the seats. Kai pulled it out and emptied its contents. "Each class has at least one of the ring members in it." The list of classes had been printed electronically, but someone had written in the names of the various members in faint pencil. Mikage Suwa's name appeared most frequently. That would make it easier to befriend him.

They pulled up to the sidewalk outside the school building, and Kai hopped out, slinging the briefcase over his shoulder again. Daisuke rolled down the window once Kai had closed the door.

"I'll pick you up at three," he stated coldly without looking at Kai. The window slid back into place, and the sleek black car reentered traffic. Kai stared after it. _I wonder is Daisuke and Hal would get along,_ he thought as he turned towards the school gates and joined the entering throng of students. Other uniformed kids whispered about the new kid, and Kai resisted the urge to fiddle with the tracking button on his blazer.

"Hey, new kid!" Someone slapped Kai on the back, startling him. Kai looked behind to see Mikage, the very kid he was supposed to befriend. This case, as the director had said, would be easy. "I'm Mikage. What about you?"

"Susumu Namikawa," Kai lied flawlessly. He extended his hand and Mikage took it without hesitation.

"I heard you were gonna be in my first period class," Mikage said, guiding Kai with a hand on his shoulder blade. "I can lead yo-" He paused and waved at the jumble of people. "Miyuki! Over here!" A girl stopped in the crowd and wandered over, her expression blank. Her mouse brown hair reached her elbows and her slanted eyes examined Mikage dully.

"Eh?"

"Miyuki, this is Susumu, the new kid." Mikage slapped Kai on the back again, nearly making him drop his briefcase. Miyuki smirked and left with a carefree, "Nice to meet you." Kai watched her leave as Mikage muttered something about how hard it was to talk to her. Miyuki hadn't been on the list of suspects or victims. Mikage herded Kai into the building.

By the time last period rolled around, Kai had become "friends" with no less than three of the ring members. It bode well for the case, and only added more emphasis to the director's claim to its simplicity. Mikage, his table buddy, slid a post-it note beneath Kai's arm. Kai shifted to unfold the small piece of paper.

 _Having party after school. Friends and Miyuki will be there. At seven at my house. 4386 North Yousei Ave. Will be fun._

Kai gave Mikage, who had been watching out of the corner of his eye, a thumbs-up and returned to his neatly written notes on the documentary. The end bell rang, and the students popped out of their seats, racing for the door. As Mikage exited, Miyuki sidled up to Kai.

"Mikage has been trying to get me to one of those parties for a month now," she said in a deadpan. Kai looked over at her as her manicured nails tapped the desk. "Rumor has it that they pull stuff out as the night wears on." She caught Kai's gaze, frowning. "I'm gonna leave early. I suggest you follow suit." She abandoned Kai, undoing her tie and tugging it off.

Shouldering his briefcase, Kai tailed the rest of the stragglers out to the curb where Daisuke waited in the charcoal car. Kai opened the door and sat in the passenger seat.

"The ring is holding a party at Mikage Suwa's house," Kai explained, as Daisuke drove away. "It would be a great time to pull the sting." As he spoke, he felt more and more in charge. "It's at 4386 North Yousei Avenue. I think the whole ring will be there, as well as another potential victim. It starts at seven tonight."

They pulled up to the curb at Kai's temporary apartment, and Kai exited the vehicle, waving farewell as Daisuke left. The case had definitely progressed. A sting after only a single day was nearly unheard of. Kai pulled out his cell phone and called Mattori headquarters.

 **~Switch~**

"Cell phone?"

"Yes."

"Voice transmitter?"

"Yes."

"Handcuffs?"

"Yes."

"You're good to go." Daisuke handed Kai's jacket over, and Kai inserted the invisible earpiece. He stepped from the van. _Bzzt. "Can you hear me?"_

"Loud and clear," Kai replied, going over his gadgets once more in his mind. If this went right, the ring that had been terrorizing the school for nine months would be history. Daisuke opened the back of the van with a thumbs-up and an uncharacteristic wink. Kai set off.

The team had parked around the corner from the destination, so Kai only had to walk a short bit in the chilly air. He had replaced his single glove since returning from school.

As he neared, Kai realized how nice Mikage's home actually was: it had gingerbread woodwork over the front porch and well-trimmed rose bushes in the flower beds. Kai reached the front door, and, before he could knock, it swung open, revealing an excited Mikage.

"You came!" he exclaimed with a grin.

"Well, aren't you going to let him in?" a redhead asked from the sofa. This was Jun Touchi, the head of Skye. He was the only one of those present that hadn't been in one of Kai's classes. He stood and offered a hand to Kai. "Susumu Namikawa, I presume?" He asked with a cool smile. Kai accepted the gesture and nodded. "I'm Jun Touchi. Nice to meet you."

"Same."

Jun flicked his hand, and someone turned on the stereo. Mikage led them into another room with several game tables and a snack bar. As the night wore on, Kai spoke with many of the guys from school that day, and even managed to say a word or two to Miyuki before someone had him playing pool. Kai kept half an eye on the clock as the time inched closer to eleven. Miyuki finally got to her feet, pocketing her Sudoku book.

"I'm heading off," she announced dully, sauntering toward the front door. "My parents want me home before midnight, and I don't feel like being grounded again." She opened the door.

"But the party's not over," one of the boys complained. She smiled back at them. "Maybe next time. Susumu, want a ride home?" She turned to Kai, and Kai remembered their conversation from earlier. As much as he would have liked to appear decent, he had a job to do.

"Nah. I'll stay a little later." Miyuki nodded seriously and exited the house. Kai looked at the front door a second longer before Jun called his attention back.

"I've heard rumors about that father of yours," he said, glancing up from his game of pool. "Might want to let him know how late you'll be staying. You can use my phone." It took a minute for Kai to remember part of his cover was a controlling stepdad.

"I've got my own," Kai replied, pulling his out of his pocket.

"Go ahead and step out for a minute," Mikage said happily. "We're not going anywhere, and we'll have some more fun stuff when you get back."

Kai saluted and slipped through the sliding glass door to the back patio. He flipped open the phone and pretended to type something in, aware that the boys could see him through the window.

"Morisaki," he whispered, "did you guys catch that?"

 _Bzzt._ " _Caught it,"_ came the reply. " _We're leaving it up to you to give the signals."_

"Got it." Kai began to close his phone when a gloved hand smacked into his face from behind, squeezing his mouth and jaw. He released a muffled cry as the attacker yanked away his cell. Kai reached up to try and pry the fingers away from his mouth when he felt the unmistakable barrel of a gun pressed into his spine.

"Voice transmitter?" someone whispered in Kai's ear, close enough for Kai to feel the breath on his skin. Kai froze, mouth still covered, and hands still gripping the sleeve of the assailant. The person behind him was Jun.

 **AN: Now to test if people actually read my stuff. I will be holding the rest of my story hostage. I have it completely written and edited, but I won't post a new chapter until I get a comment. I know. Maniacal of me, but I write to get better, and I can't get better without some feedback. What am I doing right? Wrong? Please Review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Switch**

 **Thank you for the reviews. I've got the story done, so I'll post the rest. I apologize that it took so long. (Being a high school senior is busy)**

With a quiet swearword, Jun pulled Kai back into the house, where the music had been turned up louder than before. Jun repeated the question, and squeezed Kai's mouth until it hurt. Mikage circled in front of them, reached forward, and tore the invisible earpiece from the side of Kai's head. Kai reluctantly pointed to his shirt collar where Daisuke had pinned the tiny microphone.

Mikage silently turned out the collar of the t-shirt and removed the transmitter, carrying it and the radio from the room. That couldn't be good. Kai's heart beat an irregular rhythm as Jun ordered a more thorough search.

The students rifled through Kai's pockets, retrieving the handcuffs, and finding his wallet tucked in his sock. Kai watched on helplessly, still immobilized by the grip on his mouth and the firearm in his back. As Mikage returned, one of the boys opened the wallet, revealing Kai's Mattori ID. His cover had been blown.

"Hardly a high-schooler," Jun taunted, finally releasing Kai. Kai made a break for the front door, but Mikage tackled him. They hit the floor with a crack. If he shouted loud enough, his crew might be able to hear him through the transmitter upstairs. Before he could draw breath, Mikage pulled him to a standing position with another hand over his mouth and an arm around his throat.

"This way," Jun said, opening the sliding glass door and leading the entourage outside. Kai struggled against Mikage, forcing him to stop halfway across the yard. Kai could hear Hal's voice in his mind: _Useless._ He couldn't even fight against high school students. But what bothered him more was that the boys had not been surprised to find the Mattori ID in his sock, nor had Jun hesitated to demand the location of the voice transmitter. They might have known from the start that he was A Narcotics Control Department investigator.

"Mikage, move faster!" Jun demanded from up ahead. "It's only a matter of time before they realize something's up." Kai attempted to use the distraction to his advantage, but Mikage's jagged nails dug into his face, drawing blood. Jun sent one of the other students back, and he lifted Kai's legs off the groung, dangling Kai between him and Mikage. Kai gagged as Mikage's arm constricted around his neck, and thrashed harder, forcing both of them to drop him.

Kai struck the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of him. Before he could stand, he felt something push the side of his head into the dirt he looked up to see Jun hunch over him, needle in hand. He carefully shoved the syringe into Kai's vein, and Kai watched in horror as the fluid flowed into him. It wasn't Star-ink, but it was definitely some kind of narcotic.

"Come on, while you're still awake," Jun commanded, hoisting Kai to his feet by his shirt collar. Kai stumbled woozily as the blood rushed from his head and his vision blurred. Jun shoved him forward, and Kai stumbled through the back gate and onto a small street where two small cars waited. Kai collapsed.

 **~Switch~**

Hal dropped his cell phone on the couch and rubbed his face. Why was he not surprised?

Director Hiki had called with the news that Kai had, once again, been kidnapped. He had gone to a party, undercover, and after some thirty minutes without contact, the back-up had barged into the house, only to find it deserted, with Kai's belongings strewn on the floor and the voice transmitter in a playroom, stuck to a train set next to a radio. Kai hadn't been seen since, and while there had been signs of a struggle, the only blood found in the area had been a small patch in the grass out back.

"Useless kid," Hal muttered, blowing his nose and throwing away the tissue. And while he still had a cold, Hal was useless too. He scowled pinched the bridge of his nose. Couldn't Kai just stay safe for once? First… Hal stopped the train of thought. If he decided to list off all the times Kai had found himself a hostage, he would be listing for a while.

 _You better find him, Daisuke Morisaki,_ Hal thought darkly. It had been under the new partner's watch that Kai had vanished, and Hal would make sure Morisaki found his friend.

The discarded cell phone rang again, and Hal opened it without checking the caller ID.

"Yes?"

"This is Director Hiki." The voice sounded solemn and dark. "We have more on Kai. How soon can you come to the office?"

Kai blinked groggily, finally regaining enough consciousness to think properly. The narcotic had been powerful, and had left him with a killer migraine. A thick blanket lay over him, keeping him warm, but barely giving him enough air to breathe. Kai worked his wrists behind his back, rubbing the skin raw against the extensive amount of rope. He panted shallowly through the cloth in his mouth. Kai noted the absence of his shoes and jacket. His ankles and knees had been lashed together, and considering his inability to pull them towards his chest, they had been tethered to something.

Closing his eyes, which had been rendered useless by the blanket, Kai listened to his surroundings. He heard traffic, and a heating vent clattering from another room.

"Stop your investigation or your detective will die," Kai managed to pick out. The voice was metallic and modified into a squeaky tone with bad consonants and elongated vowels. _Die? DIE?_ Kai thrashed (as silently as he could), and finally succeeded in knocking the blanket away from his face. He inhaled a deep breath of fresh air, shaking perspiration-soaked hair from his eyes.

It looked like he was in another perfectly normal house in the living room. His feet had been leashed to a leg of the sofa, and he lay half beneath a coffee table, facing the black-screened television. Kai had no companions but whoever was speaking through the modulator, and he sounded like he was in the kitchen.

With no immediate danger, Kai relaxed, still working at the rope with his fingertips, but breathing normally. His mind flashed back to his confusion at his abduction. His kidnappers had befriended him immediately and had invited him to a party in a too-good-to-be-true scenario, which should have set off warning bells in Kai's mind (or even Daisuke's, for that matter). Next, they had immediately demanded his voice transmitter and had taken his invisible earpiece. Finally, they had shown no surprise upon learning his true identity and had removed him from the house out the back, away from where the police had surveillance. The only answer: someone in the NCD was working with Skye.

The modulated conversation ended, and the speaker's footsteps slapped against the kitchen floor. Kai heard the refrigerator open and close, and the footsteps leave the non-padded floor. A few seconds later, Mikage's head appeared over the top of the sofa. He glanced down at Kai and held up a Ceram-wrapped sandwich.

"Hungry, detective?" He rounded the couch and sat next to Kai, unwrapping the thick slices in the process. Tearing off a piece of the sandwich and pulling Kai's gag away (leaving it tied but loose), Mikage stuffed the food into Kai's mouth before Kai could offer protest. "Hardly believed _you_ were the detective they said was coming. Expected you to be older, but kudos to them for recruiting who they could."

Kai chewed. If they had taken the time to really look at his ID and Driver's License, they would have see he was twenty-two, though he may not have looked it. After Kai had swallowed, Mikage replaced the cloth and pulled the blanket straight.

"Jun will be back soon," he stated, standing and folding the wrappings back over the sandwich. He reentered the kitchen, leaving Kai alone.

 **Ooooh! You still want to read it? Don't worry. No more month-long cliff-hangers.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Switch**

 **This chapter is for the second review I received. Thank You.**

" _Recently, you have been researching the high school drug ring, Skye, which surfaced some nine months ago. You sent a young Narc undercover to the school in question. As seen in the several photographs, we now have him hostage. Stop your investigation, or your detective will die."_

Hiki reached forward and stopped the recording. Hal cursed under his breath. Not only had Kai been captured, he was being used as a bargaining chip against the NCD. _Stupid, Useless Kid,_ he thought, removing his glasses and covering his eyes.

"I once again apologize for my inability to stop this situation," Daisuke Morisaki said in a low voice. Hal didn't want to hear it, but said nothing.

"Considering the situation," Hiki interjected, "it is best that we halt the investigations until Kai's safety in guaranteed. So far, there have been no homicides involved in the case, and we want to keep it that way." Hiki dismissed the small collection of people, but asked Hal to stay behind.

"Yes, Director?" Hals asked, taking a seat once more.

"The manner in which Kai was kidnapped implicates an inside job," Hiki explained quietly. "Skye members befriended him immediately and set up a too-good-to-pass-up scenario. They attacked when he had done nothing to warrant suspicion and removed all his means of cantanct to the NCD. Skye clearly has connections in the department."

"Do you have any suspects?" Hal asked quietly. His thoughts had been in line with Hiki's. If it continued thus, their suspect would match up as well.

"Daisuke Morisaki," Hiki replied, voice barely louder than a mutter. Hal nodded his assent. "He began training nine months ago, just after we began investigating Skye. After he joined the department, Skye slipped into nonexistence, supplying drugs here and there, but never showing any of its true colors. It wasn't until Morisaki had become a full investigator awaiting a simple first case that Skye cropped up again with multiple leads, suspects, and easy targets. Morisaki had been informed immediately of the case, and originally asked for you as a partner. When I told him you were out with a cold, he asked about your partner, and without a thought, I assigned them to the case."

"Wouldn't the system have caught on to Morisaki's connections to the recent case?" Hal demanded, incredulously. His earliest suspicions were being confirmed, but he needed to be sure.

"Usually yes, but the system is not perfect." Hiki sighed, pressing his index fingers together and looking over their tops at Hal. "I hate to ask while you are still obviously under the weather, but we must keep up the pretense that we are not investigating. Will you use your personal time to locate Kai Eto and gather evidence on Skye?"

Hal nodded without hesitation and stood. Hiki pulled a thumb drive from his pocket and tossed it to Hal.

"That's our file on Skye. Try to use it while your internet is turned off." Hal nodded once again, pocketing the drive and exiting the office.

 **~Switch~**

Kai jumped when he heard a car door slam outside. That would be Jun. It wasn't long before Kai heard the two students conversing in the kitchen.

"Time you get some sleep," Jun said. Kai heard the scrape of a chair. "You've been up all night, and I can watch him."

"Thanks." A single set of footsteps entered the carpeted part of the house and receded down what Kai assumed was a flight of stairs. A radio hummed to life, emitting soft classical music. No other sounds came from the kitchen, which lent to Kai's surprise when Jun's head appeared over the top of the sofa. He held the wrapped sandwich, and Kai's stomach burbled hungrily.

"Sit up," Jun commanded, eyes half lidded as he rounded the couch and nudged Kai's shoulder with his toe. Kai obeyed, using the couch to aid his difficult ascent. The blanket fell away. Jun pulled off the Ceram wrap on the sandwich and tossed it into Kai's lap. Crumbs bounced across Kai's jeans and the floor. Jun pulled the fabric off Kai's mouth and stood. "Make a sound, and I'll shoot you," he threatened, leaving without untying Kai.

Kai eyed the sandwich in his lap. There was no way he would be able to get at it, and Kai had eaten only the single bite from before in the past… how long had he been there? He considered shouting for help. Certainly he wouldn't get shot immediately, and possibly it might not be a fatal hit.

"The NCD have complied," said a new voice from the kitchen, loud enough that Kai could hear, but low enough that he couldn't put a face to it. "Norally I'd say job well done, but I have reason to believe that the director has put another detective on the case, but not on official orders."

"Who?" Jun asked, sounding bored. Kai strained his ears to hear the next words.

"Hal Kurabayashi."

"Hal?" Kai said aloud, momentarily forgetting Jun's warning. Once he realized what had escaped him, he could have smacked himself. _Stupid Mistake!_ Silence from the kitchen. That meant that they had heard him. Sure enough, footsteps exited the kitchen and a head appeared over the top of the sofa. Kai noted the pattern: always over the sofa first, then they came around.

"Why-" Daisuke Morisaki said, looking down first at Kai, then at the impossible-to-reach sandwich in his lap. Kai stared back. Daisuke was one of them? How? When? Why? "That's mean, Jun," he said, turning back towards the kitchen. "The Narc's not a gymnast. Come over here and do it properly so we can shut him up." He vanished and Jun took his place, trudging around to where Kai sat. The student snatched the sandwich and tore off an enormous chunk, stuffing it into Kai's face. Jun stood, still carrying the sandwich.

"Be back in a minute and a half," he said, glancing at his wrist. "I'll still shoot you if you don't keep that mouth shut."

Kai chewed and listened to the quiet conversation. From what he gathered, Daisuke was more in charge than Jun. How had that not come up in the file?

 **Still interested? Thanks for reading! How's my writing style?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Switch**

 **Final Chapter is here. Ma ha ha ha! Enjoy my swift wrap up.**

Hal pushed the thumb drive into his laptop, hitting the airplane mode button before opening the digital folder. He double clicked on the documents and scanned them swiftly, flicking through the photographs of the suspects. According to the data, they had all vanished after last night's incident. Hal paused on one of the photos.

Mikage Suwa. Hal leaned in to study the face closer. He had passed the young man on the way home from the NCD. Suwa had been exiting a small neighborhood and had passed Hal on the crosswalk. Hal reached into his pocket to dig out his phone.

"Director," he said after typing in the number and listening to several rings. "I've got something."

 **~Switch~**

Kai jerked awake to the rumble of a car engine outside. Had he dozed off? Another automobile pulled up outside, and Kai finally caught the frantic whispers of his two guards.

"We shoot him and make off?" Jun asked, and Kai tensed. If his gut was right, rescue was only seconds away, but he might not live long enough to make use of it.

"Don't want murder on our plate," Daisuke hissed back. Blinds clattered, and Kai gnawed at the cloth in his mouth. At least he was out of the deep end for now. "We can't carry him along, so we'll just have to leave him here. Come on." As their footsteps receded towards the back of the house, multiple doors crashed open. Kai jumped, sitting up without any assistance from the upholstery, and swung his head around. No one had entered the living room, yet.

"HHymmmf!" he shouted, hoping to catch _someone's_ attention. It succeeded, and a female officer rounded the couch.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, dropping to a crouch beside Kai and pulling down the gag. "I found the hostage!" she shouted over her shoulder as her nimble fingers untied Kai's wrists.

"Thank you," Kai panted, moving his hands in front of him and rubbing feeling back into them. He reached down and pulled the rope off his knees as the officer untied his ankles. Kai rolled shakily to his feet, and the woman placed a hand on his elbow to steady him.

"You're Kai Eto?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Let's get you out to the ambulance," she said gently, tugging on his elbow. He followed her through the front door. A patrol car pulled away from the curb, two figures hunched in the back, and Kai began to recognize some of the faces lingering in the front yard… and Hal.

Kai broke free of the kind officer's grip on his elbow and ran forward to embrace his partner, but Hal held up a hand, halting Kai in his tracks.

"Go make sure you're not gonna die before running like that," he growled, and Kai smiled. Same old Hal. The officer caught up and pointed him towards the ambulance where Director Hiki stood next to Kajiyama.

"Daisuke…" Kai began, but Hiki nodded towards the doctor. Kai reluctantly followed the direction, sitting on a chair a nurse offered.

"Jun Touchi was only the figurehead of Skye," Hiki explained as the doctor tested Kai's vitals. "Their real leader, upon the first investigations into Skye, joined the police academy with a squeaky clean slate and told the ring to lie low until he ordered. Once the leader began his career and needed a case, he had his ring make one. That is how Daisuke Morisaki got mixed up in this."

"How did you find this place?" Kai asked as the nurse cleaned and bandaged the nail marks on his face.

"By accident." Hiki laughed and Kajiyama rolled his eyes. "Hal had been looking through the files, and recognized one of the faces: Mikage Suwa, whom he had passed not twenty minutes before. He then questioned some neighbors, and found this house without much difficulty."

"You'll be on leave for two weeks," Kajiyama interjected, handing over Kai's wallet and cell phone. "We'll have you come in for the trials, but keep any strenuous activity light."

"Got it." Kai stood and waved goodbye. He strode up to Hal, who promptly turned on his heel and strode towards his car.

"Useless kid," Kai thought he heard him say. Hopefully this "useless kid" could still get a ride home."

 **The end.**

 **I don't like prolonged endings with intense psychological healing. They're too sad for me. And Switch tends to have some anticlimactic endings to story arcs, where it ends swiftly and life moves on. Thank you for sticking with me, and be sure to look into my Doctor Who story (Nightmares and Scarecrows) and keep an eye out for my Akaku Saku Koe story: Voice at Midnight. (Since I don't start posting until my story is finished, it may be a few weeks or so)**


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